Talia Underarm Udder

Sometimes when you knit a project, you know there is something wrong, but you can't exactly put your finger on what it is. I was SO PROUD yesterday, because after working on the Talia vest all through May and the first week of June, I was almost done. But while examining where I would start picking up stitches to do the finishing work on the underarm and neck area, I noticed that the left and right upper sides, especially the underarm area, didn't really match.

I decided to take it to the Sip N Knit group on Saturday to get their opinions on what was wrong.


Unfortunately, Kay wasn't there to give us her opinion, since she's already finished the danged vest, but Laura, Mary and Carol (other asute and sweater-seasoned knitters in my group) opined that I had knit in an extra 2 1/2 inches or so of weird underarm fabric that stuck up around/near/at the side of the underarm area and made it look like I had an underarm udder. It was just an odd extra FLAP.


So they decided that it had to be ripped back quite a bit - the whole Left Front area was strange. Luckily I had a lifeline or two, but it took us an half an hour of analyzing before we figured out where in the instructions the lifeline referred to. I hated to rip - and offered up other options: 1) could I just sew that flap down somewhere inside and pretend it didn't exist? 2) could we somehow steek it diagonally? 3) Could I sew an applique or crocheted flower over it and pretend it was an intended design element?

My "difficult" knitting group insisted that I needed to rip it and do it right. Dang, I hate it when they are sooooooo RIGHT.

Sweet Laura became worried I'd take scissors to the whole thing, so she KINDLY offered to take it home with her and rip/reknit the side panel area that was afflicted with the extra appendage. I told her that, no, kind as that offer was, it would be okay REALLY, and I'd do it. But that's a true friend, who not only offers to rip it for you, but to fix it.

Ugh, now if I can just redo it and make it match the other side, I'll be fine. Sort of. I've decided I'm too direction challenged and lack sewing structure knowledge and this just confirms my desire, in the future, to stick to knitting shawls and socks, and purses. Grrrrrrrr.


After the sweater disection and surgery, there was some needle enabling going on. The girls in the group tried to make me feel better. After I announced that I ordered a set of Harmony Wood Option needles from Knitpicks this week, one of the new girls, Celia, assured me that I'd made a GOOD decision in buying them. She proudly displayed HER Harmony Options set, and allowed us all to see how smooth the joins were, etc. We talked another knitter, Shari, into buy a set herself.

After discussing Knitcraft, and the fact that Laura had found an irrestible Noro sale there - Kureyon for $5!!!!!!!!!! I jumped in my car with Shari and we were intent on getting there before the store closed so I could get enough Noro for a bag I want to make. Well, while we were driving, Shari was firing up her cell phone that has an Internet connection, and she was ordering her Harmony needles online. Unfortunately, or fortunately, whatever the case may be, we arrived at Knitcraft a 4:55 - five minutes before closing, and it was closed up and dark, locked up tighter than a tee-totler's wine cellar. Guess the Knitting Angels were the on the side of me sticking to my Yarn Diet. It was probably a good thing because I would have had a major Noro fallout if Knitcraft had been open.